By C.R. Edwards as published in the 1955-1956 King Club Yearbook
During the show season of the years 1914-1915 a number of White King breeders in the Central West began to urge the formation of an organization which could represent the true White King pigeon at the different shows and make the White King one of the best utility breeds. At the time very few breeders had genuine White Kings and therefore many unscrupulous breeders sold any and every white bird under the name of White King.
It was against such practices that true White King breeders protested and accordingly the American White King Association was organized in March of the year 1915 with nine charter members. In November 1915 the first annual meeting and show of the Association was held in St. Louis, Missouri with 72 White Kings entered. Frank Hollmann of Warrenton, Mo., served as Sec.-Treas., and later as the first President of the organization. During the year 1909, C.R.King of Los Angeles had started the origin and development of the Silver King. He used Silver Maltese, Silver Runts, Silver Mondaines and Silver Homers as his foundation breeding stock. The present day Silver King contains about a quarter blood of each.
In January of 1921 at Oakland, California, during the fifth annual meeting of the Association, the Silver King was recognized and accepted to the Standard. At this time the Association's name was changed to the American King Club.
The organization continued to grow and make progress and in January of 1932 at the sixteenth annual meeting of the A.K.C. held in Louisville, Ky., the Blue, Red, Yellow and Dun Kings were accepted to the Standards. The King pigeon had become the most popular utility and show bird in the United States and Hawaii. At the 24th annual show of the American King Club held in Philadelphia, PA, during January of 1940, 938 Kings were exhibited by A.K.C. members. In January of 1948 at the 33rd annual show and meeting in Belleville, IL, the Black King was recognized as the seventh color accepted to the Standard. "Buy, Breed and Boost Kings" was the trend and slogan of the times.
At the 40th annual show and meeting in Dallas, TX during January of 1955, Arthur Sellbinder was appointed Chairman of a Standards Committee and charged with creating a new official Standard for Kings. In August of 1955 at early lawn shows, the new official Standard was used for the first time. At this time, the A.O.C. King was permitted to the exhibition hall.
To be continued
|